Previously, many types of automatic and manual panoramic camera mounts have been used in endeavoring to provide an effective means to take photographic images and pan over a range of 360 degrees. In most cases the inventions are very complex and fully automatic or require mechanical adjustments for achieving the purpose.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any patents that possess the novelty of the instant invention; however the following U.S. patents are considered related:
U.S. Pat. No.InventorIssue Date4,135,305KrauseJan. 23, 19795,159,368ZemlinOct. 27, 19925,259,584WainwrightNov. 09, 19935,752,113BordenMay 12, 19985,870,642Mittelstaedt et al.Feb. 09, 1999Patent Application PublicationInventorPub. DateUS2003/0156836 A1WardAug. 21, 2003
Krause in U.S. Pat. No. 4,135,305 teaches an indexing device for maintaining the rotation of an electrode in an electric discharge machining apparatus having coarse and fine annular adjustment.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,159,368 issued to Zemlin is for a motor driven panoramic mounting for a camera. Mechanical actuators on the base act upon a turnstile on a shaft for rotating the table. The turnstile shaft rotates on two cams acting as limit switches indicating the range and when to stop the motion.
Wainwright in U.S. Pat. No. 5,259,584 discloses a camera mount for taking panoramic pictures that is attached to a tripod permitting the camera to sweep in an arc of rotation along the top of the tripod. A stationary detent is attached to a protractor with adjustable detents disposed on each side. A bubble level facilitates leveling of the invention and an optical encoder converts angular displacement into a digital readout.
Borden in U.S. Pat. No. 5,752,113 teaches a mount that rotates a camera such that the images may be electronically switched together. A base is held on a tripod and a frame attaches a chemical-film or digital camera. The invention has a rotational advance system enabling the rotation thorough discrete angles through 360 degrees. High speed systems using controllers coordinate the rotation resulting in a panorama photographed in less than one second.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,870,642 issued to Mittelstaedt et al. presents a panoramic support for a camera rotating at the same angle between successive images. The invention includes an indexing head rotating or indexing in a horizontal or vertical orientation. Angle indicators are included for rotating the camera between each image and another angle between each vertical-format image.
Ward in U.S. Patent Application Publication U.S. 2003/0156836 A1 discloses a camera support which clamps on a square, rectangular or round shaft. The camera is fastened to a rotatable support plate by a thumbscrew using compressive tension of the clamping mechanism.